Rumour - Dragon Quest X in development for six years

A hastily-squashed comment from a former Square Enix staffer suggests Dragon Quest X has been brewing for quite some time.

Andriasang reports a tweet from one-time Square Enix employee Takeko Hoashi, which has since been removed, said the game had been in development for six years.

The core Dragon Quest series has seen notably lengthy development cycles, making the six year figure - seven by the time we reach its projected launch in 2012 - easier to swallow.

Additionally, Dragon Quest X is being developed internally, rather than at Level 5, which produced Dragon Quest VIII and IX, suggesting more than one entry could have been in the works in parallel.

A six year history also puts the the Wii and Wii U title's genesis near contemporary with the sudden explosion of popularity for online RPGs triggered by World of Warcraft.

Thanks, GameInformer.